A Reluctant Attraction
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Catch and Release Spoilers! As Peridot gets used to life with the Crystal Gems, she finds herself growing more and more drawn to Pearl. Weirder still, the feeling appears to be mutual. What madness is this? (A series of connected, progressing oneshots for the Pearlidot Bomb on Tumblr.)
1. Recovery

**What up, people! Solora Goldsun here and jumping into the realm of SU fanfiction for the first time. I've been a huge SU fan for the past couple months. My favorite character currently is Peridot, so this most recent episode has me pretty hyped. Anyway, on Tumblr, there's a thing going on called the Pearlidot Bomb, which goes on from September 29** **th** **to October 6** **th** **and has prompts for each day. I decided to try typing a fic a day and making them all a series of connected, progressing oneshots. Hope you enjoy them!**

Pearl knew that taking Peridot with them on a mission would be a disaster. She could see countless scenarios in her mind's eye that ended with the annoying Gem's escape and/or betrayal. Unfortunately, this recent fusion experiment attack was too big to spare anyone to stay behind and guard her.

Before departure, each of the Crystal Gems briefed Peridot with a series of threats concerning what would happen if she tried anything funny (except for Steven, who patted her shoulder and told her that he'd keep her safe). They then got on the warp pad and warped to the cornfield where Peridot's ship had been found.

The place was completely overrun with hulking, moaning, shambling monsters. Pearl felt a shiver run through her at the sight of them. There was just an overwhelming _wrongness_ that filled her whenever she saw or even heard about one.

Peridot bit her lip as she hid behind Steven. Normally, she would feel capable of handling these creatures, but without her limb enhancers… She clenched her small, useless hands in frustration before running after Steven, who was drawing his shield and charging one of the nearer experiments.

Pearl spun around, jabbing her spear into one of the monstrosities, ignoring the sickening noise it made. "Stay close, Steven!" she called over her shoulder.

When she didn't get a response, she chanced a look and felt her heart drop. Steven and Peridot were surrounded on all sides by fusion experiments, all of which were pounding on Steven's bubble. Garnet was trying to fight her way over there.

Reluctantly, Pearl turned back to her own collection of enemies, hoping to the stars that Garnet would get to Steven before his bubble was burst. She focused intently on the experiments, lashing out as they came close, not even stopping to look when she beat each one, sending their shards clattering to the ground.

Meanwhile, Peridot felt her knees shaking under the onslaught of mutants. There were so many emerging. Why were there so many?! She had known that their presence was a sign that the Cluster was maturing, but this was insane!

The bubble shook and she felt herself grow tense. She instinctively moved to raise her arm, only to remember that her enhancers were gone. As the bubble began to break, she crouched down and picked up the only thing resembling a weapon she could find: a strange, green and yellow pod that seemed to have come from the surrounding plants.

Not entirely knowing why, she moved in a position to block Steven's back just as the bubble burst.

Pearl heard a shout followed by a dull clunk. Then, Garnet's fists could be heard making contact with the mutants. As she finally defeated the last experiment in her vicinity, she spun around to see if Steven was okay.

Garnet was beating off a final three experiments. Steven, meanwhile, was crouched on the ground. As Pearl drew close, she saw that he was desperately licking his hand and pressing it to Peridot's forehead.

The small Gem was lying on her back, twitching slightly. Her visor was completely obscured with static and she kept spewing random, backwards nonsense. Steven looked close to tears. He withdrew his hand to reveal a large crack running through Peridot's gem.

"Th-There was one that c-came at me from behind," Steven sniffled. "P-Peridot tried throwing corn at it t-to get it away!"

Pearl stared down at Peridot. The crack was large, but it wasn't widening. "Don't worry, Steven," she said. "I'll take her to Rose's fountain. Think you and the others can handle any stragglers?"

Steven hurriedly wiped his face and nodded. "We'll get them all!"

Pearl smiled proudly at his determined expression. "Good." Leaning down, she lifted Peridot in her arms and ran to the warp pad.

When they got off, the crack spread a little further and the static in Peridot's visor turned into a series of binary codes. Pearl quickened her pace, running down the path. Without ceremony, she approached the fountain, set Peridot down on the edge, and started splashing the water onto her gem, which took on a familiar glow as it mended itself.

Peridot shuddered, her visor suddenly clearing. It took a moment for her eyes to focus and she could feel an odd sensation inside, as if her projection was rearranging itself in a favorable manner. She looked around wildly. Where was Steven?

When she turned her head to see only Pearl nearby, she yelped and fell back into the fountain. "I swear I didn't run! I thought that a projectile would stun it! Don't harvest me, please!"

"Calm down," Pearl said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not going to hurt you."

As she looked at the trembling Gem, she felt a twinge of guilt. Steven hadn't been kidding when he had described how terrified Peridot was of them. She had harbored only annoyance toward their new guest before. Now, gazing down at the stranded Gem who was looking back at her as if she was some merciless enemy warlord, she felt a strong surge of pity.

"Here," she held out a hand, trying to make her expression as non-threatening as possible. Slowly, as if expecting Pearl to bite, Peridot reached out and grasped her wrist, allowing herself to be pulled out.

Peridot shook the water from her hair, keeping a wary eye on Pearl as she did so. She turned to look at the fountain and blinked in surprise as she saw the giant statue there, along with the four smaller ones. They were holding flowers in their hands and the water was coming from their eyes. They looked similar to the picture hanging in Steven's living room.

"So, the stories of her healing powers were true," she mused aloud.

"Yes." Pearl nodded, smiling sadly at the statues. She didn't feel inclined to say much else to Peridot concerning Rose.

Peridot shot a suspicious glare in Pearl's direction. "Why did you bring me here? Why heal me?"

"Why protect Steven with ears of corn?" Pearl retorted, folding her arms.

"It was the only thing I could reach." Peridot mirrored Pearl's pose, adopting the same stubborn frown.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Pearl forced her expression to soften before continuing. "You put yourself at risk to protect him. Does this mean you finally decided to help us?"

Peridot snorted. "As if I'd turn traitor for the sake of you megaclods! I just didn't see the point in allowing the Steven to be injured, that's all!" She turned her head to the side, feeling her face heating up slightly.

Pearl silently examined the tight frown on Peridot's face and the slight twitching of her eyes as she stared fixedly at the ground. "You care about Steven," she realized.

"Pfft! Don't be ridiculous. He's simply the only one of you warmongers who doesn't want to crush me into the ground. I need to keep him alive for my own sake." Peridot was silent for a few seconds before she hesitantly looked toward Pearl. "Um… He wasn't injured, was he?"

Pearl felt a smile come to her face. "No, he's fine." She unfolded her arms. "He was really worried about you, though. He'll be happy to see that you're okay."

Peridot blinked in surprise. "You're implying that he has developed an attachment to me. Why?"

"That's just the way he is. He sees hope for you, just like he did for Lapis." Pearl turned toward the path. "After what happened today, I might be inclined to agree with him. Ready to head back?"

Peridot nodded, still trying to comprehend Pearl's words. She hadn't shown any inclination toward friendship, had she? Why would Steven care about her? Were humans just weird like that?

Before following Pearl, she looked toward the giant statue of Rose Quartz and nodded her head in its direction. For some reason, it felt right to do so.

When they arrived at the house, Peridot was almost immediately tackled by Steven, who hugged her tightly while shouting, "PERIDOT'S OKAY!"

"ACK!" Peridot made a strangled, surprised noise as she fell back, almost losing her balance. She gaped at Steven, who was still holding her against him.

"You're touching me. Why are you touching me?" She looked helplessly at Pearl. "Why is he touching me?!"

Pearl felt the corners of her mouth twitch as a laugh threatened to escape. Watching the flustered Gem and listening to Steven's excited babbling, she began to seriously wonder if they had truly found an ally after all.

 **Typing a fic a day should be a fun exercise for me. I'll see you guys tomorrow! Please review, but don't flame. Flames make the Perikitty cry, and no one wants that.**

 **Peace out!**


	2. Beach City

**Well, we're on Day 2 and I'm doing pretty well so far. It's like an hour before midnight, so it still counts! Enjoy.**

"Hey, Pearl?"

Pearl looked up from the book she was reading to see Steven on his way out the door. "Yes, Steven?"

"I'm going to hang out with Connie. I know you don't want Peridot to be unsupervised, so I thought I'd let you know. She's on my bed right now playing video games."

"You aren't taking her with you?" Pearl tilted her head. "I saw the three of you on the beach a few days ago, and you were all getting along fine."

"That's because we were here," Steven explained. He glanced toward the upstairs before lowering his voice. "I think she's embarrassed about how small she is now. She doesn't want lots of people to see her."

"Really?" Pearl's brows furrowed thoughtfully as she looked over at the stairs. "That's an odd thing to worry about." She turned back to Steven with a smile. "Well, you don't want to keep Connie waiting. Just be back before dark, okay?"

"Okay. See you later. Bye, Peridot," Steven called as he ran out the door.

Pearl tried to return to her book without success. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have given what Steven had said about Peridot much thought. Now, however, her mind filled with guilty images of Peridot saving Steven from the fusion experiments, Amethyst throwing the robotic enhancers into the ocean, Peridot peeking nervously out of the bathroom whenever one of the Crystal Gems walked by, an excited Steven giving Peridot her first taste of fries and donuts, and a more recent one of Peridot hesitantly sitting between Pearl and Steven during a family movie night.

She sat indecisively for a few more minutes before letting out a defeated sigh and closing the book.

When she entered Steven's room, Peridot was laying on her stomach on the bed, a game controller in her hands. She was furiously punching the buttons.

"Hit it WITH the sword, you idiotic- What?! You're making me go all the way back there?! Stupid, infuriating-"

"Everything okay?" Pearl asked with an amused smile.

Peridot jumped a little before relaxing when she saw who it was. Out of the Crystal Gems, Pearl was the one who made her the least nervous (besides Steven, of course). Amethyst seemed determined to get on her nerves at any opportunity while Garnet had what looked like a permanent glare on her face whenever Peridot saw her. Pearl, on the other hand, had been somewhat pleasant since the mission in the cornfield.

"The Steven told me that this was fun," Peridot explained, holding up the controller. "But, it's filling me with the urge to throw that box machine out the window."

"Then, you should probably stop," Pearl suggested. "Steven would definitely be upset if you broke his TV."

"Hmph. Pointless, archaic machine," Peridot grumbled as she put the controller down. She glanced warily at Pearl. "Why are you here? I have no information to give you."

"That's not it. I…" Pearl trailed off, unsure of how to word this. It wasn't as if she and Peridot were friends, or even particularly friendly, after all. "I just wanted to let you know that you aren't confined to the house. You're allowed to walk around and even go to town if one of us is with you."

Peridot looked at her with a suspicious frown. "If you're trying to bribe me, you'd might as well give up now," the green Gem said, folding her arms.

"It's not a bribe," Pearl replied, her eyebrow starting to twitch irritably. "You haven't tried to escape or attack anyone, so I think we can afford to give you a little extra freedom."

"Hm." Peridot drew her knees up onto the bed, hugging them in a now-familiar position. She stared at the ground, trying to decide what to say. Pearl didn't seem like someone who would mock her. She was definitely snobby, infuriating, and filled with a holier-than-thou attitude, but she also seemed like someone who would listen. Steven certainly confided in her more often than the other Crystal Gems.

"I don't want the humans to see me," she finally said.

"Why is that?" Pearl replied, feeling a small measure of satisfaction at getting Peridot to open up.

"Look at me!" Peridot spread her arms, allowing her legs to go back over the edge of the bed. "I'm the size of a pebble! It's bad enough that you've all seen me like this. I don't need an entire town to know how pathetic I look."

Feeling embarrassed at her outburst, Peridot turned to look at the ground again. "Why did Amethyst have to throw them away?" Her shame increased when she realized that her voice broke.

Pearl winced at the raw emotion in Peridot's words. She really seemed to hate the way she looked without those robotic limbs. Cautiously, Pearl walked over and sat on the bed. "You know," she ventured. "You don't need to be ashamed of your height. There are some human adults around your size, and Ruby and Sapphire are shorter than you."

"Those two are always fused, so that point is invalid," Peridot said with a derisive snort. "And humans don't have to worry about serving Yellow Diamond. They don't have to worry about being inadequate."

Realization dawned on Pearl as she thought back to her time on Homeworld. Words like "defective" and "grunt" circled through her head. She eyed Peridot's small hands and short legs and felt a familiar, righteous anger. "You were told that you weren't good enough." It wasn't a question.

Peridot knew she should stop, but the look on Pearl's face made her want to continue. Was it possible that the other Gem…understood?

"Most Gems of my stature are relegated to menial tasks and are under the boot of everyone else." She frowned as she thought back. "I was deemed to be more intelligent than other Gems in my station and was granted a higher position. My enhancers were given to me then. They told me that they were healing my inadequacies and that it was a great privilege to be so improved."

Pearl let out a disgusted huff. "That sounds just like Homeworld," she growled bitterly.

"They need strength," Peridot said quickly. "It makes sense to value size and ability on a planet so often at war."

Pearl started to retort, but decided against it when she saw the stubborn set of Peridot's jaw. The young Gem would defend her home and its skewed morals until she was blue in the face. Instead, Pearl tried a different approach. "Well, whatever Yellow Diamond thinks, the humans won't care. I'll go with you."

She felt encouraged when Peridot tilted her head, seeming to be seriously thinking about it. Then, the green Gem looked at her hands and frowned, her eyes narrowing with frustration.

 _So close…_ Pearl thought, breathing a sigh. Why did she care so much all of a sudden? Was it simply pity that drove her actions?

An idea occurred to her. "What if you shapeshifted into something else? Then, no one would know."

Peridot blinked in surprise and looked up. "Shapeshift?" She thought about it for a moment. That was a surprisingly-good idea. "Into what, though?"

"Well," Pearl said, turning on her gem's projection. "Some common animal would probably be best, so we don't incite a panic. A dog, perhaps?" She allowed images of various dogs to appear.

Peridot watched the pictures for a moment before pointing at one as it flashed by. "Wait! Show me that one again." She looked at the image of a larger creature with pointed ears, a long tail, and shaggy fur. "Hm. That one should suffice."

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the image. She inhaled deeply. As she exhaled, she crouched down and felt her limbs and snout lengthening as she turned into her first Earth animal. She blinked up at Pearl. "How do I look?"

Honestly, "cute" was the first word to come to mind, but Pearl didn't dare say that. Peridot had turned into a fuzzy, green Husky with a pale green underbelly, head fur that jutted out in a way that was reminiscent of her triangle-shaped hair, and her visor obscuring bright green puppy eyes.

"Perfect," she said instead. "Though," she added with a slight smile. "There is one more thing we need to make this convincing."

A few minutes later, Pearl was walking down the sidewalk, holding a long leash that ended with a very irritated green dog.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Peridot growled as she trotted alongside Pearl. "You're deriving some sick pleasure from this situation. I just know it!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Pearl replied, trying very hard not to start snickering. "We can't have you running off, and dogs are supposed to walk on leashes."

"Hmph." Peridot's ears flattened with resignation. "Fine, but we'd better stop by that 'Frybo' place the Steven likes so much. I want a carton of those salty fat sticks without having to share them for once."

The two walked through town for an hour, Pearl greeting the people she knew, Peridot staying silent and observing the strangeness of the various dwellings, clothes, and manners of speaking (or not speaking in the case of the being called "Onion"). The walk ended with a trip to Frybo's, where Pearl got the largest order of fries.

They sat on a bench near the beach, Peridot happily scarfing the food, heedless of the smacking noises her muzzle made. Pearl wasn't sure whether to lecture her on table manners or burst out laughing. In the end, she said nothing and simply scratched at the area behind Peridot's ear.

Peridot paused in her eating, confused at the weirdly-pleasant sensation of Pearl's hand on her head. Other people in town had "petted" her during their walk and she had barely tolerated it. This time, for some reason, she didn't mind at all.

When she went back to her fries, she noticed that her tail was moving back and forth of its own accord. She started to wonder the reasoning behind it, but decided that it didn't matter. It was probably just a dog thing.

 **Bonus points for Peripuppy and managing to incorporate the leash idea! I'll see you guys tomorrow for more cuteness.**

 **Peace out!**


	3. Steven

**So, college and life kept me from finishing this on time, but better late than never, right? Hopefully, I'll be able to finish Day 4 and Day 5 today and get caught up. In case you haven't realized, the chapter titles are the prompts. This one was Steven and Lion, but since Lion doesn't appear at all, I just titled the chapter "Steven". Enjoy!**

Pearl walked out of her room to see Peridot bolting down the stairs, falling down the last couple in a panic. "Peridot, what's wrong?"

Peridot jumped to her feet and looked up, her eyes wide with fear. "Pearl! Thank the stars! You need to do something. Steven is malfunctioning!"

Immediately, Pearl started up the stairs, her heart pounding with worry. Was Steven sick? Had he caught some kind of parasite from the fusion experiments in the Kindergarten? When she got to Steven's room, she saw that he was thrashing around on the bed, making strained noises.

"See?" Peridot stood right behind Pearl. "He says random words and there is water leaking from his eyes. What's the procedure?!"

Pearl walked over to Steven, placing a hand on his forehead. Her shoulders relaxed a little, though she still hurried to sit down next to him, drawing him into her arms. She smiled when his trembling lessened. "He's not malfunctioning, Peridot. He's just having a nightmare."

Peridot climbed onto the end of the bed, still looking warily at Steven. "Is that an Earth sickness?"

"It's not a sickness." Pearl gently cradled Steven against her chest, stroking his hair. He mumbled something inaudible and gripped at her arm. "It's okay," she whispered, hugging him closer before turning back to Peridot. "Steven explained sleep to you, didn't he?"

"Yes. It's when organisms power down like machines." Peridot scooted closer, flinching back slightly when Steven's eyelids twitched.

"Well, sometimes people have dreams." Pearl thought back to how Steven had once explained it to her. "It's like your thoughts come together to play a movie in your head. Nightmares are when bad thoughts and scary images come together, like a scary movie. Remember the one you and Amethyst watched the other day?"

"As if I could forget! I will never go near a tree or a 'clown doll' for as long as I'm on this messed-up rock!" A shudder went through Peridot's frame at the memory. "Wait, you're telling me that Steven's being attacked by evil trees in his head?! We should wake him up!"

"Hold on." Pearl held up a hand as Peridot started to reach for Steven's shoulder. "With all that's been happening, he needs his sleep. I'd rather not wake him unless we really need to." She looked down at Steven, relieved to see that he was beginning to calm down. "See? The nightmare's going away already."

Peridot peered down at Steven. His face looked more relaxed and there was no more water leaking from his face. "Does this happen often?"

"It depends." Pearl kissed Steven's forehead before placing him back on the bed. He continued to grip her arm and she made no effort to move away. "He usually has them after something scares him. After what you told us about the Cluster, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he was dreaming about."

At this, Peridot's brows furrowed. "Are you saying that I gave him the nightmares?" She backed away from Steven guiltily.

"Not you specifically," Pearl hastened to explain. "Just thoughts of the Cluster, though he may not even be dreaming about that. He could be dreaming about zombies for all I know." She felt Steven finally release her arm. "I think he's fine now." She lifted the corner of his blanket, which he had crumpled while thrashing about, and pulled it over his shoulders.

"Okay." Peridot stared at Steven for a long moment before hesitantly moving closer again. Cautiously, she reached out and touched his hair, trying to imitate what Pearl had done. He stirred a little and muttered something about a "cookie cat".

There was an odd, warm sensation growing in Peridot's chest and the corners of her mouth were quirking upwards as she regarded this strange Gem. He looked… What was the word? Cute? She felt a sudden urge to go and invent a device that could just zap away Steven's "nightmares" before they could even manifest.

When she looked up, she saw that Pearl was watching her with an odd smile on her face. There was a strange softness in the other Gem's blue eyes. It was unfamiliar and made her feel a little uncomfortable and extremely confused. Her cheeks grew warm and she quickly looked away again.

Pearl's smile widened as she watched Peridot. The green Gem's mouth was set in a stubborn line now, similar to when Pearl had asked if she cared about Steven. This time though, Pearl was more aware of the dark green blush that was currently adorning her face. For some reason, she could feel her own cheeks heating up in response.

"Should we stay here to make sure he doesn't have another nightmare malfunction?" Peridot asked before mentally kicking herself.

 _Why did I say "we"?!_ Before, she would have said "I" or "you". _No,_ she corrected herself. _Before, I wouldn't have spoken to her at all._

"It couldn't hurt," Pearl replied, her blush deepening. She tried to will it away. She was only happy because she was being given an excuse to watch Steven sleep again. That was the only logical explanation.

Peridot nodded, moving back to sit down at the bottom of the bed again. She watched the steady rise and fall of Steven's chest with a small measure of fascination. What was it like to power down like a machine? Were there always dream-movies, or did people ever feel the blankness of an empty screen in their heads? Perhaps she would ask Steven about it in the morning.

Pearl also moved into a more comfortable sitting position. In the process, her arm brushed Peridot's and she felt the smaller Gem flinch instinctively. That made her feel oddly sad. _Is she still scared of me?_ she wondered.

When she chanced a glance, she saw that Peridot was already looking up at her. She felt her cheeks flush, but didn't look away. There was something odd about Peridot's expression. It was very ponderous, as if she was trying to discern something specific by studying Pearl's face.

Peridot felt a now-familiar heat in her cheeks when Pearl looked at her. It was weird. When Pearl had brushed against her, her immediate reaction had been to move away. Now, however, she was feeling strangely regretful and very much wanted to move closer to her. This had certainly never happened before. Did Pearl potentially have a strange Earth disease that Peridot was now catching?

 _Well,_ she rationalized. _If I've already caught it, I won't really suffer if I do this._ Carefully, she moved sideways, closing the small amount of distance between her and Pearl. Her arm, side, and hip pressed lightly against hers and her face became even hotter. She was aware of a tingling sensation in her chest that was both unsettling and pleasant. Continuing to look at Pearl would only increase her confusion, so she elected to fix her gaze on the sleeping Steven once more.

Pearl could no longer deny the fact that she was blushing. What was wrong with her? Was she actually developing a crush on Peridot of all people? As was to be expected, her thoughts went immediately to Rose. This only confused her more, as she had a very vivid impression that, if Rose were there, she would be watching this scene with an approving smile.

Her pinky brushed against Peridot's and she looked down at their hands. Slowly, cautiously, she moved her hand until it was covering Peridot's. She felt another surge of warmth. Peridot's hand was so small that her own hand completely enveloped it. This made her feel strangely protective, even though there was no immediate danger.

Peridot was absolutely positive that her brain was short-circuiting. Was it normal for another individual's hand to feel so warm, soft, and…comforting? She felt her body move, as if of its own accord, until she was leaning into Pearl's side, her cheek pressed against the other Gem's shoulder.

This also felt comforting. Peridot realized only then that her lips had turned upward into a small smile that she couldn't will away, no matter how much she tried. Eventually, she just decided to close her eyes and enjoy the moment, even though she had no clue why she was enjoying it in the first place. Pearl rested her head on top of hers and she felt as if something in her chest was about to burst.

 _Yes,_ she decided as she felt herself being lulled into a more dormant state by Pearl's warmth and Steven's quiet breathing. _I have definitely caught some kind of Earth disease._

 **In case you were wondering, the remaining prompts are Afraid/Kiss, Space/Archaic, Fusion/AU, Trust/Training, and Defective/Repair. So, there will be much more fluff in the upcoming chapters. Review, but don't flame. You know the drill.**

 **Peace out!**


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